It’s not just Valentine’s Day that is synonymous with 14 February—did you know it is also Library Lovers’ Day?

Library Lovers’ Day is a special day to honour libraries, librarians, book lovers, and lovers of libraries. We also celebrate the important relationship between our community and libraries.

Internationally recognised, Library Lovers’ Day was started in Australia in 2006 by the State Library of New South Wales. In 2007, it became a national day when the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) joined in on the campaign to promote their passion for books. Since then, the love has grown, with thousands of libraries joining in, hosting special activities, events and campaigns annually.

At Geelong Regional Libraries, we embrace the day this year with some love-ly activities that we welcome you to join:

• Learn to crochet a mini-Valentine heart with the Purl Jam Knitting Circle at Corio Library (all skill levels welcome).
• Or head to Leopold Library, where you can speed date a book! Five tables, five genres and five minutes to grab and go! Which will you give your heart to? (No bookings required).
• At Newcomb Library, learn how to create a paper craft lion heart and origami hearts to share with loved ones. (No bookings required).

The theme for Library Lovers’ Day 2022 is ‘Show the love’. ALIA explains:

“It’s a day to remember that our libraries are a place where we can get lost in an idea we are following, find an adventure we are seeking in a book, discover more about an issue we feel passionate about or get help from someone about something we want to know. These are all the reasons (and more) to celebrate the valuable roles libraries play in our lives and to re-engage with our libraries and ‘show the love’.”

So why not show your love and discover (or re-discover) all that your local library offers both in-person and online this Valentine’s, ahem, Library Lovers’ Day!